Need a Tig recommendation

[piniongear]

I would like a recommendation on the amperage setting I should use to weld a pedestal for a JG2 32 tube bender?

The base plate is 12 inches square and 1/2 inch thick.
I am welding a 36 inch length of 2-1/2 schedule 40 pipe to the base plate.

My equipment and set up is as follows:
Dynasty 200 with Argon and set to DC.
WP20 torch with gas lens and 1/8 2% Lanthanated Tungsten.
1/8 inch ER70S filler rod

I have the base plate and pipe mounted on my rotary positioner, so doing the weld should be easily done.

Amp setting to use?
How many passes should I make around the pipe?

Thank you for comments and help.
pg

[shovelon]

Punch it at full 200 amps. Adjust with your foot control or positioner speed as required.

I would make sure the throat of the weld is at least as deep as the thickness of the pipe wall.

[H80N]

I tend to set the machine higher and modulate the heat with the foot pedal...

soo... I would set the Dyn for 200 amps and go from there.. depending on positioner speed and your personal welding style....

it might be an old fahioned approach... but works for me....

[H80N]

Hah.... Terry.... Ya beat me to it.....!!!

[shovelon]

Dang Heiti! Where were you born? Maybe we are related?

[H80N]

Dang Heiti! Where were you born? Maybe we are related?

...... Maybe.... Sick minds think alike............

Besides.... they put that "Foot Feed" on the darned thing.... might as well use it..............

[OscarJr]

Yup, with a pipe wall thickness of 200-thou and a baseplate thickness of 500-thou, you're gonna need all 200A. Number of passes would depend on what size fillet you are aiming for.

[aametalmaster]

Or you could pop in a stinger and use some electrodes...Bob

[OscarJr]

Or you could pop in a stinger and use some electrodes...Bob

That's exactly what I did for my bender stand. No need to set up the tig and play with settings. I used 1/4" flat bar to make the "tube" (because I already had the flat bar) with my Millermatic 211, and welded to a 1/2" thick base with stick. Popped in some 1/8" 5P+ 6010 on the tig, laid a bead all around. Wasn't satisfied with the fillet size, so I went over it with 1/8" 7018 excalibur. that reminds me, I should paint it before it gathers any more surface rust. Been humid here in south Texas lately.

[Olivero]

I would run this one stick. you will spend a lot of time, rod & gas and put some serious heat into the piece if you TIG it. Stick will give you a deeper penetration (just make sure your dig setting is 100%) and will be a lot faster and less consumables.

Unless you can't stick, in that case. TIG away at 200 A and just balance the pedal as you go. Gonna take some heat though, clamp it well.

[H80N]

I would still TIG it....

you can keep heat input to reasonable levels..... by keeping your amps high and moving fast...

you will only cook it by having amps too low and moving too slowly

So.......... pour the coal to it and move like the wind...

Just my 2cnts worth

[piniongear]

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help guys!
I started with the first pass set at 191 amps. Held the pedal all the way down for the entire pass.
Let it cool off and then made a second pass with the amps set at 200. This one I backed off the pedal a little.
Finished with a third pass at 200 amps. Now I have a nice thick bead around the pipe.and it looks pretty good.

At the other end of the pipe I had to weld another 1/2 inch base plate for the bender to bolt to.
This piece measures 3-1/2 inches x 8-1/4 inches, having two 3/4 inch holes drilled in it.
I inverted the pedestal and then welded the top plate to the pipe with my Miller 252 Mig machine, and of course that went much faster, laying two passes around it.

I did get some warping on the base plate because of the heat input. That surprised me but Oscar (I believe it was) cautioned me about the heat.
Standing free on the floor with a level on the top plate shows the pedestal to be almost perfectly vertical. The small amount of rocking can be cured by using washers under the plate or drilling and tapping (4) holes and using (4) 1/2-13 bolts to eliminate the slight rock.
Thanks again fellows for your help.
I had no ideal on what to set the amperage at, and was very surprised to hear the correct setting was at my max available amperage..
pg.

[H80N]

Thanks for all of your suggestions and help guys!
I started with the first pass set at 191 amps. Held the pedal all the way down for the entire pass.
Let it cool off and then made a second pass with the amps set at 200. This one I backed off the pedal a little.
Finished with a third pass at 200 amps. Now I have a nice thick bead around the pipe.and it looks pretty good.

At the other end of the pipe I had to weld another 1/2 inch base plate for the bender to bolt to.
This piece measures 3-1/2 inches x 8-1/4 inches, having two 3/4 inch holes drilled in it.
I inverted the pedestal and then welded the top plate to the pipe with my Miller 252 Mig machine, and of course that went much faster, laying two passes around it.

I did get some warping on the base plate because of the heat input. That surprised me but Oscar (I believe it was) cautioned me about the heat.
Standing free on the floor with a level on the top plate shows the pedestal to be almost perfectly vertical. The small amount of rocking can be cured by using washers under the plate or drilling and tapping (4) holes and using (4) 1/2-13 bolts to eliminate the slight rock.
Thanks again fellows for your help.
I had no ideal on what to set the amperage at, and was very surprised to hear the correct setting was at my max available amperage..
pg.

Glad you got it done... and you are happy.........

share some pics with us....??

[piniongear]

Here are 3 pics of the finished pedestal

[Olivero]

I did get some warping on the base plate because of the heat input. That surprised me but Oscar (I believe it was) cautioned me about the heat.
Standing free on the floor with a level on the top plate shows the pedestal to be almost perfectly vertical. The small amount of rocking can be cured by using washers under the plate or drilling and tapping (4) holes and using (4) 1/2-13 bolts to eliminate the slight rock.
Thanks again fellows for your help.
I had no ideal on what to set the amperage at, and was very surprised to hear the correct setting was at my max available amperage..
pg.[/QUOTE]

Well, There ya go. It's Oliver by the way, not Oscar. A joke goes around my work place with me being called Oscar because I originally got very annoyed when people called me that, so now a bunch of people call me Oscar at times because of it. Funny that you accidentally happened to do the same.

I have warped 3/8" flat bar by running stick but that was due to the amount of passes I did in a short period of time at max amps for an 1/8" rod and once its bent, it will never be perfectly flat.

Anyways, good job then! Share some pictures, we are always curious to see what it looks like when its done.